


Say It Like It Is

by GofficPizzaCrusts



Category: Naruto
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-23 04:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3753691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GofficPizzaCrusts/pseuds/GofficPizzaCrusts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A very simple, straightforward story about exes who happen to be ninja; an ANBU operative and the 6th Hokage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say It Like It Is

**Author's Note:**

> Post-war. A one-shot. Will go back for proper tags. I hate making summaries. Did I say that already?

Yamato looked up at the canopy of trees surrounding his house and to the patches of the darkening sky above it. The fading rays of an autumn sun permeated the leaves and its attempt to warm Yamato’s cheeks went futile. Around, he can hear a squirrel or two scamper and roust about, looking for food. Their bodies ducked in and out of red and amber leaves, scuttled past the gate and back again. Whistling a tune, he laid down on the wooden floor of the front porch, his hands underneath his head and waited for his cookies to bake. His kitchen timer is on; he had to remove the cookies from the oven while they’re still slightly underbaked so they won’t get too hard. 

Life was rather lenient on him at present. The rebuilding of Konoha was over, and there were no wars to worry about thus far. Last year was his busiest; he threw himself at work overhauling the rest of the village. He was painfully absent during the 4th war, held captive by Kabuto so after the Alliance’s triumph and a bit of rest, he returned to what he does best in his own village; creation. He did not do all the work though, only the most complex of the lot. All ninja lent a hand in finishing what remained of their beloved turf too. 

He has acquired a piece of land with some of his savings. When he found out that one of the local merchants who frequent the village’s open market was selling a portion of his real estate, which was conveniently located in the outskirts of the village and the forest, he grabbed the opportunity to make it his. Tomoyuki-san, the merchant, was glad to know that all ninja countries were finally at peace and he told Yamato that he was going to do plenty of traveling all over now that it was safe to venture different places once more. Theirs was an uncomplicated transaction and both parties were left humming happily by the end of the deal. Yamato produced a tasteful but modestly-sized dwelling for himself. Modestly-sized in a sense that the upkeep won’t be a total pain in the neck. With that he can pursue doing more sensible activities, like his new fondness for baking. 

Yamato absently pulled a soft, pliant stretch of skin on his belly. He must get back to his fitness regimen and train some more. He was getting a little thick down there, the once rigid abdominal muscles that lined his stomach was slowly being replaced by tiny inches of fat. Peace time is not the time to get lazy, he thought. He must cut back on the carbs and the beer too, indulge instead in a little sake during down time. 

It had been a year after the war and Yamato was still a bit shaken by what happened. Those were nightmarish days and days of guilt and being trapped at the base of a tree that sapped his resources, these resources being the Shodaime’s DNA. He cannot yet shake the sordid fact that the enemy used his body to power up an army of White Zetsu that ranged from the thousands. Yamato thought he was going to die right then and there, but he survived, miraculously. His old ANBU team mates back in the day often teased him because of his cat monicker, so Yamato thought with slight deprecation that maybe he had survived the whole ordeal because he was well, supposedly a cat. Cats apparently have nine lives, and he has perhaps wasted about five, which includes that time his body was used as bizarre sustenance for a band of freakish clones. 

You are not a cat, Tenzou.. You are a tree. You are a mountain. You are nature itself, he can hear Kakashi saying, teasing whenever Yamato would balk at the feline potshots thrown at him, albeit in good nature. 

Things had been back to normal to date. After the whole crisis was over, every ninja who braved the front lines went back to their respected countries armed not with weapons but victory, new insights and plenty of tales to tell. Rest and recuperation were given, and he was proud to know that Cell 7 lent a big hand in turning the outcome of the war in the Shinobi Alliance’s favor. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, his previous charges finally got the chance to prove their worth in the field. Sasuke, for all the trouble he stirred up among ninja countries gave his all too. And then there’s Kakashi, his ANBU captain. The man has lost his Sharingan but was given the title as the 6th Hokage days after the war. They were co-captains at some point for Cell 7 and tended their charges together, were a team during his formative years in ANBU. But Kakashi was more than just his ANBU leader, the most prolific shinobi of his time, Cell 7’s captain, a man who has through the years replicated a thousand jutsu from enemy ninja, nor the head of an entire Hidden Village. 

In Yamato’s eyes, he was an old flame. 

And it appears that you can never really forget your firsts. Time did not temper those memories down. It hurt when he was a young man, and it still hurt even now. He knitted his eyebrows at the thought. Kakashi will always remain as a goddamn prompt for certain memories he’d be better off with. He is proud of his senpai’s achievements, of the burning fact that he was responsible for rearing him, for turning him into an exceptional shinobi. But out of all the positives came a lingering pain, those secret agonies that would open all sutured wounds which never seemed to heal with time. Yamato was getting older now. He is not alone, in reality. He has friends, he has a friend in Cell 7 and well, Kakashi. Friends in other ninja like Aoba and Gai, who despite the dude’s eccentricities will never fail to amuse and at the same time annoy Yamato. He’s seeing somebody now. 

He tried to keep an open mind and heart, at least.. Only to realize later on that he was failing in that aspect. 

The silence from the forest was a salve most of the time, but when your heart is being wrenched and squeezed freely with a vise, silence can add to the torture. Yamato decided to abstain from such thoughts and just think of his baking and the lineup of tasks he would have to undertake by next week. He thought of dropping by at the Hyuuga district tomorrow to see Hinata, ask her for more pastry recipes he can try. 

The sun’s final rays for the day were receding fast, and in his peripheral vision, a swish of bright whites with strips of red appeared. At first he thought of ghosts, and then blood. A heady, almost-sweet tang of ozone curled on his nostrils and interrupted with the smells of home baking and the nearby forest’s damp, vertiginous scent. Before he can utter a gasp at the sudden emergence of the familiar smell, the person in question loomed before him. 

Kakashi stood clad in his dark mask and Hokage whites, beaming down on him. Yamato took note that in spite of the now-visible lines around his eyes, his grin was still unchanged. For a moment, there was a hulking, awkward silence between them. Yamato dropped his gaze, not wanting Kakashi to witness the sparkle that flickered in his own dark eyes. As was with protocol, Yamato sat up and posed himself into a kneeling position, his head bent low. Kakashi was the Hokage after all; giving the highest respect to the village head must be observed and put into practice, even if the man standing before you was your ex-lover from many moons ago. 

“Rokudaime.. Sir.. How may I be of service to you?” Yamato said briskly. He was surprised at Kakashi’s unexpected visit. Usually, the Hokage does not make personal stops unless it was of grave importance. Maybe there is another impending threat, Yamato thought. Surely, Kakashi would not just glide soundlessly into his own front porch for tea and biscuits. 

Kakashi chuckled in that maddeningly soft, liquid manner, an almost-sensual chuckle he has cultivated through the years. His reaction brought Yamato’s head up, he saw Kakashi remove his Hokage hat and slide his mask down. Still chuckling, he put the hat on Yamato’s head. The younger man grunted, then laughed back softly, hesitantly at Kakashi’s gesture. Their differing positions have made Yamato feel a bit awkward; he was not that sure if he can still joke around Kakashi as if they were still sempai-kouhai. Team mates. He governs an entire Hidden village now, and Yamato is still an ANBU ninja. There’s protocol to mind. He decided not to give in to Kakashi’s quirks and instead be a bit more formal. Slowly, Yamato stood up and he was about to remove the hat when Kakashi stopped him. 

“Wait, let me take a good look at you, Tenzou..” Kakashi said as he placed his hands on Yamato’s shoulders. Then again, Yamato was not expecting that gesture. 

“Se—.. Kakashi-sama.. I..” Yamato tried to answer back, but his voice trailed off when he saw his sempai eyeing him intensely. He can feel the tips of his ears turn a bright pink and he hoped those damn ears were hidden by the flaps of white fabric which hung around the sides of the hat. 

“Hmm. It looks good on you.. Sooner or later, we need another Hokage with the Shodai’s DNA. What do you think?” Kakashi said. 

Yamato had to laugh at this. 

“Hokage-sama, I think it’s Naruto’s turn to take over in the future, not mine.. Make a boy’s dream come true..” Yamato answered back. He took the hat off and gave it back to Kakashi. 

“You don’t want to hold sway over a village full of ninja? Gain complete authority? Make the best and the brightest solutions in times of strife and conflict?” Kakashi mused, his head tilted back at an angle which Yamato thought was kind of adorable. Intimidating, but endearing all at the same, taxing time. 

Yamato chuckled and shook his head. His sempai the Kage was being a bit ridiculous and he was still not that sure if he must roll with Kakashi’s teasing. Besides, the Rokudaime’s hands were still gripping his shoulders in a comfortable, unperturbed manner. It’s not protocol, but well, the Kage can do anything he wants. 

“I believe I’m still wanting in some areas of expertise, Kakashi-sama. But if need be, for the protection of this village and the Land of Fire, I will take on the hat..” Yamato said simply, scratching his head. 

Kakashi smiled. “That’s the answer I need to hear. Next to Naruto, I believe you’ll make a fine Kage as well,” the older man said softly. 

“Was that a trick question, Kakashi-sama?” Yamato said abruptly before he can zip his mouth. 

The older man chuckled again, eyeing Yamato with complete amusement. “Of course not, Tenzou.. We need men like you in this village.. All dedicated and dignified.. You have answered me quite excellently. I, too, have had doubts seeing myself as prime Hokage material, but I will do anything to protect the place I grew up in.. That’s the nature of a true ninja. I think you know that already..” 

Kakashi delivered his statement in his usual nonchalant fashion but it floored Yamato. 

Easy there, show some restraint, thought the younger man. “Thank you, Kakashi-sama..” Yamato answered back, a soft smile curving his lips. Kakashi once again threw his hands on the younger ninja’s shoulder and gently, he shook Yamato. 

“Whu-what the, sem—, I mean, Kakashi-sama?!” Yamato protested. Kakashi crossed his arms and looked slyly at the younger man. 

“Maa, loosen up, Tenzou.. We’re not at work. It’s a Saturday afternoon. Of course the Kage needs to get away from the stifling confines of the Hokage office. On weekends I need to be Kakashi Hatake again, the easygoing, laidback jounin of the not so distant past. With the combined middle names of hip, cool and trendy..” Kakashi explained in length. Yamato could not help but laugh back, shaking his head. 

“So, I guess you won’t mind if you take a little ribbing from me tonight, eh?” Yamato replied in jest. 

“Maa, that’s no way to treat a Kage, Tenzou..” Kakashi piped in. Yamato shrugged, smiling. 

“Just as I’ve thought, you’ll use the Kage card for an easy way out,” the younger man dryly. 

“Wait, I smell something nice..” Kakashi said, sniffing the air. Yamato checked his timer and nodded. The second batch will be done in nearly 60 seconds. 

“I baked some apple and oatmeal cookies. Wanna have some, with coffee? I can make you coffee..” Yamato offered. 

“Sure, I never knew you’re into baking. From the way it smells, I bet it tastes good..” Kakashi said matter-of-factly. The timer rang and Yamato strolled to the front door. 

“Come in, the first batch of cookies are cool enough.. You can have some..” 

He led Kakashi inside the house and showed him the way to the living room. 

“Nice digs..” Kakashi said, smiling as he sat on the couch. He placed the hat on the table while Yamato went to the kitchen. 

“Thanks.. I designed everything.. You don’t mind instant coffee?” Yamato chimed in by the kitchen. 

“I don’t mind because I know you make a great cup..” Kakashi said, shrugging. The younger man smirked right back at him then proceeded to place the freshly baked cookies on the cooling rack. He took a peek at Kakashi and saw that the older man’s nose was once again stuck behind a book. A new book this time, Yamato noticed. He made mental notes to ask him about the book. Discussions revolving around books is always a great way to fill up those awkward silences. 

Granted, official matters he can discuss with Kakashi but this time it’s different. Kakashi dropped by as a friend.. Yamato couldn’t help but think of safer topics they can discuss other than their preferred reading material. Politics, the state of the new shinobi system, aesthetics, hobbies? Dammit, anything just to keep talk of the past at bay..

The kids, yes, the kids, Yamato thought. They can always open up about Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Sai.. With hesitant steps, he went back to the living room carrying a tray of cookies and coffee. Kakashi put his book down and smiled as the younger man handed him his cup of joe and a plate of cookies. Yamato sat down on his reading chair, not on the couch beside his sempai. 

“It’s quite good..” Kakashi said after finishing a cookie. 

“Thanks..” Yamato answered back casually. “You can bring home some.. I made plenty for Cell 7’s get-together—“ 

His voice trailed off when he saw Kakashi look at him with a curious stare. 

“A Team 7 gathering?” Kakashi inquired. 

Yamato chuckled uneasily. Inviting Kakashi was an afterthought, and he had thought of asking Naruto to relay the invite to Kakashi, but then decided not to do it. He convinced himself that Kakashi, as the Rokudaime, would be too busy to see them. Apparently chucking him out of the list was a bad idea. 

Then again, Kakashi’s inventory of Hokage assignments was not really the main reason why Yamato has thought of ditching him. Konoha’s ninja grapevine was rife with gossip about the dashing Hokage and a certain person doing the dating rounds and Yamato was hurt at this little piece of unconfirmed news.

“Tenzou..” Kakashi warned, his pale eyebrows now raised half-way. Yamato straightened himself up. 

“Ah, yes.. I actually, organized a little gathering for Cell 7 tomorrow right here.. 4 pm on the dot..” Yamato said hesitantly. Kakashi tutted and eyed his kouhai with a furtive glare. 

“And why was I not invited?” Kakashi deadpanned. 

“Well.. I thought you’d be too busy to see us..” Yamato said sheepishly. 

“Mmm..” Kakashi replied. He took a gulp of his coffee then patted the space beside the couch, motioning for the younger ninja to sit right next to him. Yamato dragged in a long breath, and with shoulders slumped, stood up and sat beside his former captain. Kakashi grabbed another cookie and after washing the food down with coffee, started to speak. 

“Come on, Tenzou.. I was also captain of the team.. That was so ungracious of you..” Kakashi said wryly. 

“I’m sorry, Kakashi-sama.. I-I just thought you have other things to do, being the Kage and all..” Yamato said softly. 

“I may be the Rokudaime now, Tenzou, but in my heart I am forever Cell 7’s captain.. You and I by the way.. I will always take the time to see you guys.. You people are family to me by now..” Kakashi said.

“I apologize..”

“And I thought we were friends,” Kakashi said gently. 

“We are..” Yamato said after a heartbeat. The word friend, as nice as it sounds, felt surreal every time it fell out of Kakashi’s lips. Yamato can feel his chest tighten whenever the older man ascribed the goddamn word at him. 

“So 4 pm, tomorrow, your place?”

“Yes.. Just be on time, se—, I mean, Kakashi-sama..” Yamato said, once more irritated at himself for nearly addressing the Hokage as his ‘sempai.’ 

“Good..” Kakashi said, grinning. Yamato couldn’t help but smile back. He crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the couch. 

“So how’s work going, Kakashi-sama? Enlighten me..” 

“It’s insane, actually, the number of paper work and assignments I have to accomplish. Right now we are thinking of proposals for new vocations and trades. Appoint ambassadors to each country, settle treaties and right now we are busy with proposing a budget.. Quite bothersome, but I am getting the hang of it each day..” Kakashi explained in length. 

“No imminent threats at the moment?” 

“We must not let our guard down. The collapse of the old shinobi system can yield rebels who are still into the old ways. Plenty of ninja will be out of work. Smaller Hidden villages will suffer. Unfortunately, our revenue thrives on conflict. Our Council and the others are busy thinking of other possible ways to curb this looming problem.”

“I think we won’t be put to pasture, Kakashi-sama.. People are unpredictable, so you are spot-on with the whole possibility of ninja rebelling against the current political climate. Also, it is hard to break down hundreds of years’ worth of ingrained beliefs and ways of thinking, however appalling and inhuman those beliefs can be..”

“Yes.. It’s going to take plenty of persuasion to make people forget and act in accordance with the new order. We are always working on it..”

In this swapping of words, there is protection for both parties involved, these conversations centered on the most tedious of things. Hang about in the routine and the commonplace. Fail to remember those things that took place in the past. 

They talked more about the respective fields they were assigned in. Yamato chuckled at some of the anecdotes Kakashi told him, and when they regressed to more socio-political issues, he disagreed with him on some points with more punch than what was required. Soon enough, their conversations circled and traversed around Yamato’s baking, Kakashi’s latest collection of books (a freshly-launched erotic series highlighting bondage and domination, books even more tasteless than Icha-Icha) and the new batch of ninja students currently enrolled in the Academy. Cookies were consumed and their cups of coffee were slugged down to the last drop. Yamato peeked outside the window and noticed that the sky was already dark. Surely Kakashi would need to go home by now. 

“Saa, Tenzou.. I popped in while you were in the hospital.. You were still unconscious though.. By the time you came out, I was engaged with other matters so I wasn’t able to give you a proper visit.. I am sorry about that..” Kakashi said. Yamato’s eyes widened; nobody told him this. 

“I didn’t know that.. I mean, no one from the staff told me..” Yamato said lamely. 

“You were able to talk to Naruto and the rest though. He told me a year ago..” Kakashi answered back. 

Yamato nodded. He had a run-in with chakra exhaustion while doing the renovation rounds in the village last year. He stayed briefly in the hospital and faded in and out of consciousness for 3 days. Yamato wondered if Kakashi lingered for a while, or if he just peeked inside, noticed that he was asleep then took off. All in all though, Yamato thought that was kind of Kakashi to visit him while he was incapacitated. It shows that Kakashi was light years away from the Kakashi he once knew in ANBU. The guy was more companionable now, unguarded and a bit more candid. 

“Thank you for the visit then, Kakashi-sama.. That was so gracious of you..” Yamato said, smiling faintly at his sempai. 

‘You’re welcome, Tenzou..” Kakashi said warmly, his eyes once more fashioned into happy smiles. The older man drew his hand forwards and ruffled Yamato’s bedhead mop of brown hair. Yamato chuckled back at the motion. They’re venturing into familiar ground once more and he, he was getting a mite dodgy about it. Yamato decided to veer away from the old and instead, concentrate on safer, more affable subjects. The pace of his heart was doubling up, bit by bit. 

“Say, Kakashi-sama.. Have you talked to the kids recently?” Yamato asked the older man. 

“Nope, that’s why the get-together tomorrow is a good idea..” Kakashi deadpanned. 

Yamato reddened slightly. “Hmm, yeah.. It is.. Sai and I hung out for a bit last Monday after work.. He asked me for tips about dating—“

Shit, Yamato thought. Dating, talk of relationships.. I’m done for..

“Maa, he asked you for love advice? I hear Ino has a crush on Sai and the boy was actually thinking of asking her for a date? That’s good news. It’s time for them to get themselves a proper love life..” Kakashi mused. 

“I said there are plenty of books in the library about that kind of thing..” Yamato said lamely, mentally hitting himself for steering the conversation to that particular course. 

“Hah, as if you’ve never been in one, Tenzou.. Dates, I mean..” Kakashi said sanguinely. Yamato waved him off and rolled his eyes back at him. 

“I hear you’ve been going out with your nurse..” Kakashi continued on softly, without a trace of malice. 

Yamato sighed. He’s stuck now. He had to make do with lame attempts on dodging the subject without looking like an utter fool. A pained, still-moony fool with a bleeding, mangled heart and a jones for a past he cannot reclaim. 

“And I hear you’ve been going out with an Academy teacher, Kakashi-sama.. A ‘he,’ I assume..” Yamato said, putting on his unaffected face, readying himself for the cascade of confirmations. After a brief, gutted silence, Kakashi cleared his throat and spoke up. 

“Yes.. I went out on a few dates with him.. Naruto’s teacher back in the Academy..” Kakashi said. Yamato nodded, not looking at Kakashi. He has a hard time swallowing the lump that formed in his throat while waiting for the older man’s reply. 

It’s out, finally. The kids never knew about this. They were always the last to know. 

“What about you? Is it true, that you were going out with, uh, Akemi?” Kakashi asked him again. 

Yamato finally looked up and nodded, smiling softly at his sempai. Of course Kakashi knows her name. Akemi had been hitting on him since the day he was discharged from the hospital, and early on, he gently rebuffed her advances. Then gossip about Kakashi and a certain Academy teacher made its way to the grapevine. He tried to deny the fact that he was affected, but his decision not to seek whether it was true or just a plain rumor started out by Kakashi’s convoy of starry-eyed female admirers, secured his entire deal. He will never be able to accept the truth. Ignorance will always be bliss. 

“Yeah.. Akemi and I are dating..” It was all that Yamato can manage. 

“I think she’s good-looking..” Kakashi answered back. 

“Hmm, yes..” Yamato murmured. He looked away and directed his gaze at the wall clock, its base a magnificent piece of woodwork he’d crafted months ago. 

Yamato doesn’t find Akemi unappealing. He cannot even say if she’s not his type. She is rather attractive and she’s not half bad whenever she was being herself. However, Yamato cannot get himself into the entire arrangement fully. He tried, but he cannot take the whole thing seriously, in fact the possibilities of a new relationship seem to have lost its entire glimmer, the supposed rush that comes with it felt runny and weak. These days, the utter thought of stepping into romantic relationships makes Yamato feel exhausted. 

And sooner or later, Yamato has to admit to Akemi that he was an asshole all along. No need to keep hanging on to a lost cause, he is breaking somebody’s heart in a slow and morbid fashion and she doesn’t even deserve it. 

“Yamato.. Please.. Don’t be like this..” Kakashi uttered softly. He sidled next to the younger man. Yamato tutted and heaved a sigh. 

“What are you talking about?” Yamato said briskly. 

“You know what..” Kakashi said carefully, absently raking a hand through messy strands of grey hair. 

“Shit, Kakashi-sama.. That one happened a long time ago..” Yamato bristled. Kakashi should not be hounding him like this. He is seeing somebody now. It is not of Kakashi’s concern whether Yamato still possessed feelings for him. The younger man made a fist, then opened his hand just to hear his knuckles crack. For the first time, Kakashi suddenly looks tired, ancient. 

“You think I was over and done with it, don’t you?” Kakashi murmured. 

“Look, Kakashi.. We were just too young, right? It would have been impossible in the end,” Yamato shot back, protocol forgotten. 

“I don’t think so, Tenzou..” 

Without warning, Kakashi shoved Yamato against the back of the couch and pressed his lips against his. Kakashi’s lips were saccharine from the apple and the sugary, baked dough but as far as Yamato can remember, the older man’s kisses were always this sweet. Kakashi’s kiss was maddeningly deep and warm and unrelenting. His tongue demanded entrance, and Yamato let him. Their tongues soon clashed with each other and Yamato let his hands run on Kakashi’s face, his shoulders, the length of his strong back. Kakashi pulled away from the kiss and he trailed gentle, lingering kisses on the side of Yamato’s face, kept going down until his mouth now suckled softly, wetly on the crook of Yamato’s neck. 

“Sempai…” Yamato breathed. Kakashi held him tighter and Yamato did the same. He snaked a hand on the older man’s hair, pulled some strands as Kakashi once more took over his yielding, ravenous mouth. 

“I missed hearing that, Tenzou.. Say it again..” Kakashi whispered, breathing hotly against the younger man’s ear. 

“Sempai..” Yamato murmured. Kakashi pulled him in for another deep kiss. Yamato’s body still recognized the contact of Kakashi’s skin on his. Those kisses and touches will never trump no other. 

Then Kakashi pulled away. Yamato tried to catch his breath. In a slow manner, the older man rested his forehead on Yamato’s shoulder. 

“Tenzou.. I-I’m sorry…” Kakashi whispered. Yamato ran his tongue on his lips to take pleasure in the quick-fading taste of his ex-lover. He nodded and gently brushed the side of his face along the older man’s head. 

“Tenzou..”

“What?”

“The two of us.. I mean, do you…” Kakashi said quietly. 

Yamato raised his head and slowly rested his back against the couch, breathing deeply. 

“Sempai.. I don’t know.. I truly do not know..”

Kakashi did not answer back. Instead, he took Yamato’s hand and squeezed it tenderly. For a moment, they sat still, entwined.

“See you tomorrow, Tenzou..” 

A fond kiss on the nape of Yamato’s neck, and the younger man watched Kakashi take off and close the door. The warmth of Kakashi’s kisses were still stamped on Yamato’s mouth and body and his words still rang endlessly, like the chimes of a bell in his head. The whole time Yamato thought everything about them ended a long time ago, that both of them have somehow managed to survive without ever looking back. However, out of the blue, this night welcomed the prospect of second chances. Yamato felt as if he was a man once trapped in a sea of darkness, reemerging from the cold and the bleak, finally breathing in lungfuls of air.

**Author's Note:**

> Truth be told, I have never watched the entirety of the war nor read the manga after Gai’s resurrection. I only went back to the manga just to see its ending. And why? Because it became too OTT, with OTT powers all over the place it became a goddamned sticky, confusing hot mess. I might add the quality of the animation was getting worse as well. The design of the Ten Tails was just BLAH. In addition, there were good fight scenes in the manga where great animation could have been key in making the series more watchable for me. I don’t know, I liked it when Naruto was still trying to find his place under the Land OF Fire sun, back when things were simpler and Naruto reminded me of a young Sakuragi Hanamichi (Sasuke is a Rukawa with monstrous brother issues and Kakashi? Akira Sendoh haha). Well, that’s the way it goes with epic manga I guess (remember the whole Cell thing with DBZ? I got turned off by it). I hope it won’t happen with HxH though. Anyhoo, no hate. Just stating my opinion. 
> 
> I’ve read the Kakashi Hiden information on the wiki, and the guy does not end up with someone, nor were there hints of any *le gasp* romantic interludes with a person of the opposite sex OR the same sex. Dude’s forever alone so all ye pairing fans rejoice. I don’t check out the Kakashi/KakaYama tags on Tumblr anymore because fucking Tumblr is unforgiving when it comes to slow internet connections so I’ve no idea if I was late with facts. 
> 
> Subtext is HILARIOUS, especially when it comes to male/male pairings. That’s why I do crack BL. However, I do understand that subtext is a joke, thus I don’t take it seriously. It’s a fantasy. All of my stories are pairing fantasies borne out of a dirty, dirty mind and it just so happens that I like writing about it. Heck maybe I should rename my account to Malicia Silverstone. 
> 
> Lastly, the stress.. Stress gives me poor memory and the need to eat bacon and cheese pizza by the zeppelin-loads. Overload me with cortisol and happy hormones, o faithless ones.


End file.
